- Joined
- Sep 20, 2016
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad rejected the creation of safe zones for refugees and displaced people in Syria, an idea supported by U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkey, according to a transcript from an interview with Yahoo News released on Feb. 10.
He signaled he would welcome cooperation with Washington in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), however, as long as the United States took a “clear political position” on Syria’s sovereignty and unity.
Assad has cautiously welcomed the new U.S. administration’s focus on fighting the jihadists, in which Trump has held out the possibility of cooperation with Damascus ally Russia.
“It’s not a realistic idea at all,” Assad said in the transcript. “This is where you can have natural safe zones, which is our country. They don’t need safe zones at all.”
“It’s much more viable, much more practical and less costly to have stability than to create safe zones.”
Assad said safe zones would be at risk of attack from armed groups.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/assad-rejects-safe-zones-in-syria-.aspx?pageID=517&nID=109603&NewsCatID=352
He signaled he would welcome cooperation with Washington in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), however, as long as the United States took a “clear political position” on Syria’s sovereignty and unity.
Assad has cautiously welcomed the new U.S. administration’s focus on fighting the jihadists, in which Trump has held out the possibility of cooperation with Damascus ally Russia.
“It’s not a realistic idea at all,” Assad said in the transcript. “This is where you can have natural safe zones, which is our country. They don’t need safe zones at all.”
“It’s much more viable, much more practical and less costly to have stability than to create safe zones.”
Assad said safe zones would be at risk of attack from armed groups.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/assad-rejects-safe-zones-in-syria-.aspx?pageID=517&nID=109603&NewsCatID=352